Brazil former President Bolsonaro ordered to serve 27-year prison term for coup plot

BRASILIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday (local time) ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving his 27-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting an attempted coup, CNN reported.

Bolsonaro, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was convicted in 2022 of conspiring to overthrow his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. His defence team chose not to file a final appeal against the conviction. As a result, Justice Moraes declared the ruling final, closing the door on any further appeals and activating the full 27-year sentence.

According to CNN, Bolsonaro has been in custody at Brazil’s Federal Police headquarters since Saturday after authorities detained him for allegedly tampering with his court-ordered ankle monitor. On Tuesday, Justice Moraes stated that Bolsonaro would serve his sentence at the police headquarters.

The former army captain, who lost the 2022 election to Lula, was convicted in September of attempting to block Lula from taking office. The court found him guilty of five crimes, including forming an armed criminal organisation, attempting to abolish democracy and organising a violent coup plot.

Earlier, the 70-year-old former leader, who was under house arrest, was accused of trying to break his electronic ankle monitor, which he has been wearing since August. The court said Bolsonaro used a soldering iron on the device in an attempt to escape, noting that he had become a “high flight risk.”

A video made public by the court showed the monitoring bracelet burnt and damaged, but still strapped to his ankle. In the footage, Bolsonaro admitted he had used the tool on the device out of “curiosity”. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the coup attempt case.

Meanwhile, Trump called the proceedings a “witch hunt” and had earlier imposed punitive tariffs and sanctions on Brazil over the issue. Trump said he had spoken to Bolsonaro recently and planned to meet him in the near future.

In a sharp escalation of tensions, the US also revoked the visa of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case, and announced higher tariffs. Trump had previously said he knew and worked with Bolsonaro and respected him greatly. (ANI)